Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Dyami Brown is going to play a major role within the offense, but why is his role so important?
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dyami Brown isn't used to this.
As a member of the Washington Commanders over the past four years, Brown played sparingly, starting just 10 games, while playing in 63. His production was similarly sparse, catching 59 passes for 784 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season.
During the 2024 postseason, Brown's production exploded, catching 14 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. His performances helped the Commanders reach the NFC Championship game. His performances helped him earn a one-year, $10 million contract from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His mindset? To get better.
“For me, I just want to take that next step forward. Keep getting better, the one percent each day. Just focus on the same details that I need to work on, stay fundamentally sound. Don’t try to do too much or get out of the way of things," Brown told members of the media on the final day of training camp practices in Jacksonville.
"I just want to go out there and compete and be the best version of me.”
Brown enters his first year in Jacksonville as a focal point of the offense. He is listed as one of the starters at receiver on the team’s unofficial depth chart and has built chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Brown said Wednesday he’s learned from Lawrence since the two first met in March.
“He’s a real leader. He’s been really vocal and communicative. He wants us to be on the same page and he tells us what he sees, and we tell him what we see as well. So, just building that chemistry there and just communicating with each other so we can all be on the same page is big for us,” said Brown.
Dyami Brown brings different element to Jaguars offense
Brown had a quiet start to camp before picking it back up as the weeks rolled on. During the team’s first scrimmage, the fifth-year wideout caught head coach Liam Coen’s eye.
“Tonight was just great to see him get out in the open field because you can see he can run. He can run,” Coen said in August. “He was coming down the middle of the field fearlessly multiple times. That's kind of been consistent throughout the spring as well. So, I’ve been pleased with him. He never really misaligns. He doesn't jack up formations or motion. Like, he's just a good pro.”
Coen’s offense lends a little bit to every type of player. Players do not have singular assignments. Brown’s capabilities as a receiver aren’t just that he’s fast and can stretch the field. His assets can be used in a multitude of ways.
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown took a jet-sweep handoff on fourth-and-1 that resulted in a first down for the hometown team. It was Brown’s only touch of the day, but something that showcased his ability to do different things in an offense that demands a lot out of the receiver position.
What Brown does can help other players do things, too. The offense is built for players to play off one another. That’s something Brown likes about the offense, too.
The Jaguars can run a variety of players, whether that’s through the air or on the ground with essentially any player on the field at a given time (perhaps not tight ends). That gives them the ultimate element of surprise.
“Just how complementary things are. We don’t have just one focus on the pass or the run. We complement each other very well, especially with the guys that we have in the room in the offense that were brought into us,” said Brown. “We all make things happen. We want to run for the pass, and we want to pass for the run. So, things like that get this offense going.”
Brown is a perfect fit for Coen’s offense and it doesn’t just boil down to him, either.
“It’s good to get those things because at this point, I’m more than just a pass catcher. I’m able to make things happen, just find ways to get the ball,” he said.
“It’s not just me getting a jet sweep; Josh [WR Josh Cephus] had a jet sweep, too. A lot of us can get those things in order for us to move the ball down the field.”
The versatility of the offense comes from the players upward, but it is also what Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski want to see and how they want to be able to use players. For Brown, the team had to help mold him into the player he’s become within Coen’s offense.
“It kind of goes back to the way he works and the way he's tried to embrace his role. He's another guy you're asking to do things that he hasn't done in the past, whether it's in the run game, you see him doing a lot of dirty work blocking, and it's not always just some deep shots or ball in hand type plays. He's got a pretty wide route tree,” Udinski said Wednesday.
The first-year coordinator explained that the balance and flexibility Brown provides is a plus. While he’s not moving into the slot or playing multiple positions on the field like Parker Washington does, he still is asked to do a variety of things that help keep the offense in sync because of his ability to run, for instance.
“He still asked to do a lot of different things that helps us stay balanced as an offense and gives him opportunities in the pass game because the more we can be a legitimate run threat with him in the game in different alignments and positions, the more opportunities he'll have in the pass game,” said Udinski.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Dyami Brown excited for versatility on offense
Category: Football
